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PRO FOOTBALL; Curl In at the Chevy, And Look for a Lateral

Home Run Throwback is the play the Tennessee Titans used today to crush the Buffalo Bills. It resulted in a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the final seconds, which proved controversial, suspenseful and creative.

The Titans said they practiced the play three times a week this season, including on Friday. It is a play designed by Alan Lowry, the special teams coach. It developed today little like the original design, but for the Titans, it was perfect.

Home Run Throwback is supposed to be used on a squib kickoff. Tight end Frank Wycheck is supposed to field the ball and toss a short lateral to receiver Isaac Byrd. Byrd is supposed to run upfield and lateral back to kick returner Derrick Mason.

But there were problems for Tennessee from the start of the play.

The Buffalo kickoff was not a squib but a short, high kick to the Tennessee 25. That startled the Titans, but was great for them because it made the inception of the play easier. The ball was caught in the air by running back Lorenzo Neal, not Wycheck. Neal ran to his right a yard or two and handed the ball to Wycheck.

Byrd got caught up in the play and was out of position. Mason was out of the game, having had a concussion. Anthony Dorsett, Mason's backup on the play, was out, too, because of leg cramps. Kevin Dyson had suffered leg cramps earlier, but he was subbing for Mason and Dorsett. The Titans simply threw Dyson into the play -- he had never returned a kickoff in his two pro seasons.

''As we were running on the field, they were trying to explain to me the gist of the play,'' Dyson said. ''When the ball was short, I saw Isaac go to try to catch it when it was supposed to be Frank. I'm thinking, 'Squib -- I think it is over with.'

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''I saw Frank catch the ball,'' he said. ''I wasn't supposed to catch the lateral. It was supposed to be Isaac. I made sure I got behind him. I took one hard step out to make sure it was a lateral. Once I caught it, I thought, 'Get a touchdown or good position for a field goal.'I was real excited. There was nobody there. ''

Wycheck said: ''At first I was, like, 'Get out of bounds so we can kick a field goal.' But he was, like, flying.''

The touchdown was not assured until after Referee Phil Luckett reviewed replays, which do not have to be requested by a coach in the final two minutes. ''When they reviewed it, I didn't know which way it would go,'' Wycheck said. ''It happened so fast, I thought I at least got it level or a yard behind.''

Buffalo was sure it was an illegal forward pass, not a lateral.

But the Bills had other questions. Why did they leave 16 seconds on the clock when they kicked their go-ahead field goal, booting it on first down and leaving too much time for Tennessee? Why make a high, easy-to-field kickoff that was short and gave Tennessee good field position? Why not be prepared for a trick? There were only 16 seconds left. It would take a miraculous return to get the Titans into field-goal position, let alone gain them a touchdown.

Miracle met luck. And as far as the Titans were concerned, destiny and the better team prevailed.

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A version of this article appears in print on January 9, 2000, on Page 8008003 of the National edition with the headline: PRO FOOTBALL; Curl In at the Chevy, And Look for a Lateral. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe